May 22, 2022

Buffalo Shooting Leaves Community With No Supermarket For Miles Around

Tops Friendly Market was more than a place to buy groceries. As the only supermarket for miles, it became a sort of community hub on Buffalo’s East Side — where you chatted with neighbors and caught up on people’s lives.

“It’s where we go to buy bread and stay for 15, 20 minutes because if you just go in for a loaf of bread, you’re going to find four or five people you know, we’re going to have a couple of conversations before you leave,” said Buffalo City Councilman Ulysees O. Wingo, who represents the struggling Black neighborhood, where he grew up. “You just feel good because this is your store.”

Now residents are grieving the deaths of 10 Black people at the hands of an 18-year-old white man who drove three hours to carry out a racist, livestreamed shooting rampage in the crowded supermarket on Saturday.

They’re also grappling with being targeted in a place that has been so vital to the community. Before Tops opened on the East Side in 2003, residents had to travel to other communities to buy nutritious food or settle for snacks and higher-priced staples like milk and eggs from corner stores and gas stations.

The fact that there are no other options lays bare the racial and economic divide that existed in Buffalo long before the shooting.

“People talked about the demographics, the income levels, the crime and other factors,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said. “I felt that the money here was as green as the money anywhere, that there was a lot of money to be spent in this community and there were needs to be served.”

Wingo said it was no accident that the gunman chose the store to carry out the shooting.

“Knowing the density of African Americans on this side of the city and going to that Tops knowing that this side of the city is a food desert was intentional, it was deliberate, and it was evil,” Wingo said. “And we know that because he did reconnaissance the day before to ensure that there were Black folks there.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/buffalo-shooting-tops-closed-food-desert_n_6289156fe4b0edd2d0168d8d

May 22, 2022

Delegates decline to endorse candidate for governor at Wisconsin GOP convention

Wisconsin’s most ardent members of the Republican grassroots declined to endorse a candidate in the party’s gubernatorial primary, leaving the field wide open as the Aug. 9 primary approaches.

More than 1,500 delegates, candidates and activists gathered Saturday for the party’s annual state convention in Middleton — about 10 miles from the state Capitol, in the heart of deep-blue Dane County. Candidates made their cases to the party faithful — some seeking the endorsement themselves and others urging delegates to choose no one.

Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch received the most votes among the candidates, at 54.6% — just shy of the 60% needed to earn the party’s endorsement.

Construction business owner Tim Michels and businessman Kevin Nicholson each received about 3% of the vote on the first ballot, which took them out of the running for the second vote. State Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, got 5.6% of the vote on the first ballot and 2.6% on the second. The percentage of delegates supporting the “no endorsement” option rose from 36.4% on the first ballot to 42.8% on the second.

https://captimes.com/news/government/delegates-decline-to-endorse-candidate-for-governor-at-wisconsin-gop-convention/article_459959f8-ffae-5da9-859f-922b9c532007.html
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Can they just go ahead and eat each other already?

May 22, 2022

Va. Republicans try to restrict minors' access to two books after judge's obscenity finding

A Republican lawyer who serves in the Virginia House of Delegates is pursing restraining orders that would make two books unavailable to minors after a retired judge acting on behalf of the Virginia Beach Circuit Court found the books could be considered obscene due to explicit sexual content.

In an interview Thursday, Del. Tim Anderson, R-Virginia Beach, said he and his client in the case, Republican congressional candidate Tommy Altman, are now seeking temporary restraining orders that would prevent distribution of the books to minors by libraries and bookstores.

The books in question are “A Court of Mist and Fury,” a fantasy novel that contains sex scenes, and “Gender Queer,” a memoir about LGBTQ identity written in a graphic or comic book style format. It has come under fire from some parents over an illustration depicting oral sex.

Virginia Democrats have pushed back against what they say is a wave of conservative attempts to censor what young people read. So far, those fights, which often center around books dealing with LGBTQ themes or race, have largely been restricted to the General Assembly and local school boards. But Anderson’s effort appears to be a significant escalation in tactics by getting Virginia courts involved in deciding whether some books should be off limits to young readers.

Anderson said he’s only trying to restrict the books’ availability to minors, not to censor or ban them entirely.

“It’s just, they’re basically treated like adult magazines now,” Anderson said. “You can’t go watch an R-rated movie without your parents there. Same concept.”

The legal maneuver was already drawing backlash Thursday.

https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/05/19/va-republicans-try-to-restrict-minors-access-to-two-books-after-judges-obscenity-finding/

May 22, 2022

'Accelerationism' used to be an obscure extremist theory. Why Buffalo should change that.

By Jon Lewis, research fellow at the Program on Extremism

The recent act of targeted mass violence against Black Americans at a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, is yet another reminder that accelerationist, neo-fascist lone-actor violence remains one of the dangerous domestic terrorism threats in the United States today.

Best understood as a set of tactics and strategies explicitly designed to put pressure on and exacerbate latent social and societal divisions in order to collapse the system, experts believe neo-fascist accelerationism has been the inspiration for some of the deadliest acts of mass violence in the United States in recent years — from Black churchgoers in Charleston, Jewish congregants at synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, and Latino shoppers at a Walmart in El Paso.


HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
Buffalo suspect exposes dangers of accelerationist, neo-fascist lone-actor violence
Why transnational accelerationist networks create a far more amorphous and decentralized threat picture.
Buffalo Police on scene of the shooting at Tops Friendly Market
Buffalo Police on scene of the shooting at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, N.Y. on May 14, 2022.John Normile / Getty Images
May 20, 2022, 6:43 PM EDT
By Jon Lewis, research fellow at the Program on Extremism
The recent act of targeted mass violence against Black Americans at a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, is yet another reminder that accelerationist, neo-fascist lone-actor violence remains one of the dangerous domestic terrorism threats in the United States today.

Best understood as a set of tactics and strategies explicitly designed to put pressure on and exacerbate latent social and societal divisions in order to collapse the system, experts believe neo-fascist accelerationism has been the inspiration for some of the deadliest acts of mass violence in the United States in recent years — from Black churchgoers in Charleston, Jewish congregants at synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, and Latino shoppers at a Walmart in El Paso.

Transnational accelerationist networks, designed not around formal material support but a shared community, create an in-group and interconnected online ecosystem for many of these terrorists. This creates a far more amorphous and decentralized threat picture. As such, the understanding of these networks must extend far beyond the narrow confines of traditional, group-centric counterterrorism structures and policies. Long gone are the days when a membership card or pledge of allegiance to a foreign violent extremist group were the primary red flags. Without significant changes in how we approach and respond to the realities of domestic terrorism, the tragedy in Buffalo threatens to become just one more in a long line of deadly terrorist attacks in the United States.

Primary source evidence from the suspect’s manifesto and Discord posts, which must be treated with a degree of skepticism, nonetheless provide a valuable framing for understanding the progression of radicalization and indicates an ideological adherence to tenets of neo-fascist accelerationism. For example, the emulation of believed accelerationist Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in a terrorist attack targeting two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, was evident from the text of the manifesto — which replicated or mimicked large portions of Tarrant’s own writing — as well as the iconography on the weapon used, the use of livestreaming and the suspect’s planned public release and distribution of the video. Further, the Tops suspect’s writings show numerous references to white supremacist and antisemitic conspiracies such as the "great replacement theory" and the narrative of “no political solution.” These conspiracies and narratives, which have been embraced by accelerationist movements as foundational elements of in-group identity, serve to unite disparate elements of the right behind shared enemies.

The great replacement theory is a white supremacist conspiracy which argues that white, European populations are being intentionally replaced through migration. Initially emerging out of right-wing spaces in Europe, including the French group Generation Identity, the narrative quickly found a receptive audience in American right-wing extremists intent on framing the debate around immigration.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/buffalo-shooting-suspect-manifesto-livestream-exposes-accelerationist-rcna29881
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When will it get through these people's thick skulls that they are ALREADY outnumbered?

May 22, 2022

UPDATE: Eight Arrested After Teen Snatched at Dallas Mavericks Game

Eight people have been arrested in Oklahoma City for allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old Texas girl, who was abducted at a Dallas Mavericks game last month when she left her father to go and use the bathroom.

The girl’s family is also demanding answers from Texas police about why they refused to investigate their daughter’s disappearance and were forced to locate her themselves with the assistance of the Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative (TXCTI)—a nonprofit organization that was able to track down nude images of the girl on a prostitution website.

The teen went to the bathroom at the American Airlines Center on April 8 and never returned, her family’s attorney Zeke Fortenberry of the Fortenberry Firm, PLLC said in a release, obtained by Fox News.

She was missing for 10 days until Oklahoma City law enforcement located her at an Extended Stay America hotel— roughly 200 miles away — on April 18.

The Oklahoma City Police Department has arrested Saniya Alexander, Melissa Wheeler, Chevaun Gibson, Kenneth Nelson, Sarah Hayes, Karen Gonzales, Thalia Gibson and Steven Hill in connection to the trafficking case. Gibson is charged with offering to engage in prostitution; Nelson, Hayes and Gonzales are charged with human trafficking and distribution of child pornography; Hill is charged with rape; Gibson and Alexander have felony warrants; and Wheeler has a robbery warrant.

Mr Fortenberry said despite the family’s pleas to the Dallas Police Department, authorities refused to investigate the case citing Texas Family Code laws, which consider missing juveniles to be runaways “unless there are circumstances which appear as involuntary such as a kidnapping or abduction.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/eight-arrested-after-snatching-teen-at-dallas-mavericks-game?ref=home
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Texass needs to seriously update its so-called "Family Code"

May 22, 2022

Bank refuses to pay ransom to hackers, sends dick pics instead

I’m not sure if it would be enough for me to switch bank accounts, but I have something of a sneaking respect for the Bank of Zambia.

As Bleeping Computer reports, Zambia’s central bank fell foul of a ransomware attack orchestrated by the Hive ransomware gang earlier this month.

In a press release, the Bank of Zambia reassured its customers, partners, and media that it had recovered from the attack:

“The disruption, which affected some systems at the Bank such as the Bureau De Change Monitoring System and the Website, emanated from a suspected cybersecurity incident. We wish to advise that these systems have since been fully restored.”

Well, that’s good to know – but it’s not that that impresses me.

https://grahamcluley.com/bank-refuses-to-pay-ransom-to-hackers-sends-dick-pics-instead/
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Maybe that, and the accompanying message, should be tried by more hacking victims....just saying

May 22, 2022

Skeet Jones is a powerful judge in Texas' smallest county. He is being charged with cattle theft.

Lawmen came to remote Loving County, Texas, on Friday to arrest the county judge, a former sheriff’s deputy and two ranch hands on one of Texas’ oldest crimes — cattle theft.

Judge Skeet Jones, 71, the top elected official since 2007 in the least populated county in the continental United States, is facing three felony counts of livestock theft and one count of engaging in criminal activity, accused of gathering up and selling stray cattle, authorities said.

Jones, the scion of a powerful ranching family that settled in Loving County in the 1950s, was booked into Winkler County Jail on Friday and released on $20,000 bond, records show. He did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Authorities also arrested former Loving County deputy Leroy Medlin Jr., 35, on one count of engaging in criminal activity — a second-degree felony that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Medlin did not return phone calls, but his wife sent an email that questioned the motives behind the arrests. “We are being targeted,” she wrote, “at full force.”

Officials with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the lead agency on the case, offered few specifics about the alleged crime. Commissioned through the Texas Department of Public Safety, the association has “special rangers” — certified peace officers — who investigate livestock theft and other agriculture crimes.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/loving-county-texas-cattle-theft-skeet-jones-rcna29719

May 21, 2022

A look at what's wrong with childcare in our country

NASHVILLE, Tenn - More than 100 Nashville parents waited hours in line, some overnight, to secure a spot at a new daycare Friday.

“Having my first baby this fall, and want to make sure we can get her into a good daycare,” Corey Pettit explained from the front of the Primrose School enrollment line.

Pettit sat in a lawn chair ahead of more than 100 parents, which took some commitment. “I dropped my car off at lunchtime yesterday to make sure I had a parking spot, got my wife to pick me up, and brought me back at 8 p.m. last night. Figured I knew people did it for bourbon at 9 o’clock in December; I could do it for a baby at 8 o’clock in May.”

The line was a visual representation of daycare waiting lists in Nashville and across the country. A pandemic survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children reveals that out of 5,000 early child educators, 2/3 reported experiencing staffing shortages that affected their ability to serve families.

https://www.wvlt.tv/2022/05/20/dozens-parents-wait-overnight-secure-daycare-spot/

May 20, 2022

Pastor sparks controversy with rhetoric about Dems, Christianity

By most measures, Greg Locke was already a controversial Christian pastor. The Washington Post recently published a profile on him, his church in Tennessee, and his millions of online followers.

As the Post put it, Locke’s critics make the case that he’s “spreading a dangerous message of hate that is taking root in some conservative churches.” The same report noted that his ministry has also divided his community outside Nashville, especially after Locke held a book-burning event where he and followers threw copies of the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series and Disney merchandise into a giant bonfire.

Locke was also on the steps of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, a day after speaking at a pro-Trump rally where he reportedly delivered “one of the clearest and most violent prayers of the day.” The Post added that the pastor has also blessed the members of the right-wing Proud Boys from his pulpit, and relied on its members to provide “security.”

It was against this backdrop that Newsweek took note of an especially memorable sermon Locke delivered earlier this week, which might make him even more controversial.

Ahead of a Monday anti-abortion rally in front of the Supreme Court in Washington D.C., right-wing Pastor Greg Locke told his Tennessee congregation “you ain’t seen an insurrection yet” ... The Global Vision Bible Church pastor made the provocative statement during a sermon in Mt. Juliet, near Nashville, on Sunday. During the sermon, the pro-Trump pastor railed against Democrats who he said could not be Christians if they supported abortion rights.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/pastor-sparks-controversy-rhetoric-dems-christianity-rcna29442
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Temove his tax exemption NOW!

May 20, 2022

Decades of misconduct allegations at LSU come under scrutiny in $50 million suit

In her two decades working in the Louisiana State University athletic department — a college athletics powerhouse — Sharon Lewis considered protecting the female workers and students a crucial part of her job. She said she was diligent about reporting racial and sexual offenses to her superiors — “several,” she said, filed over a span of 15 years.

That is, until her superiors denied getting a single one of them, she said.

“I couldn’t believe it. It was just all so overwhelming," Lewis said. "I fainted."

Lewis’ allegation is part of her $50 million Title IX lawsuit against the school, the board of supervisors, specific staff members and attorneys at the firm Taylor Porter, all of whom she alleges conspired in “unlawful discrimination with malice or with reckless indifference to federally protected rights to which she is entitled.”

She has a motion hearing next week in Louisiana to defend against the school’s efforts to have her case dismissed. Her comments to NBC News are her first extensive interview about her filing against one of the largest college athletics programs in the U.S.

While her work recruiting top athletes to come to LSU was integral to her job as the associate athletic director of football recruiting and alumni relations, she said that “protecting the school from itself became a part of what I had to do.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/decades-misconduct-allegations-lsu-come-scrutiny-50-million-suit-rcna29822
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Large ICK factor here